Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

First Time Buyers: Leasehold

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to help improve affordability for first time buyers in the leasehold sector.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to insure that leasehold reform initiatives are (a) inclusive and (b) consider the diverse needs of (i) leaseholders from minority backgrounds and (ii) all other leaseholders.

Lee Rowley: Whilst we will always fulfil our obligations under relevant legislation, we have simply got to move away from identity politics infecting every facet of public discourse. The Government is committed to reforming leasehold for everyone, irrespective of background or any other characteristic.

High Rise Flats: Fire Extinguishers

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring sprinklers are retrofitted to high-risk buildings where deemed necessary by a risk assessment.

Lee Rowley: Under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, a designated Responsible Person has an obligation to ensure that existing residential buildings have appropriate fire safety measures. Retrofitting sprinklers may, but might not always, be the right option and other fire safety measures could be taken that may be appropriate for an individual building. When new building work is undertaken, the Building Regulations set out the levels of safety and performance that is required and are supported by statutory guidance in Approved Documents. The Government amended Approved Document B Fire Safety in May 2020, reducing the trigger height for provision of sprinklers in new tall buildings from 30m to 11m.

Leasehold

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps he has taken to support residents’ groups in addressing barriers to their exercise of the right to manage; and what steps he is taking to improve transparency to help residents’ groups understand barriers to their exercise of the right to manage.

Lee Rowley: The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill, currently before the Commons, includes measures relating to the right to manage amongst other things.The Leasehold Advisory Service offers free expert advice to leaseholders, and can support consumers in understanding the steps they need to take in exercising their right to manage.

Recreation Spaces: Access

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to increase access to green spaces.

Jacob Young: National Planning Policy sets out that access to high quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and physical activity are important for the health and well-being of communities.The Government is firmly committed to protecting and creating more parks and green spaces. Through the Levelling Up Parks Fund we have provided £9 million to create new or significantly refurbish existing green spaces.

Department of Health and Social Care

Liver Diseases: Lincolnshire

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the rate of liver disease in (a) South Holland district, (b) South Kesteven district, and (c) Lincolnshire.

Andrew Stephenson: The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) publishes liver disease profiles that compare local areas within England. Data for the prevalence of liver disease is not collected. The profiles provide liver disease mortality and hospital admissions rates for local authorities to assess their level of disease.The main findings for the South Holland Non-metropolitan District Council were that during 2022, the rate of mortality from liver disease in people under the age of 75 years old was 18.3, or between 10.8 to 28.9, per 100,000. In the financial year ending 2022 the hospital admission rate due to liver disease in all ages was 109.9, or between 50.8 to 178.0, per 100,000.The main findings for the South Kesteven Non-metropolitan District Council were that during 2022 the rate of mortality from liver disease in people under the age of 75 years old was 13.3, or between 7.9 to 20.8, per 100,000. In the financial year ending 2022 the hospital admission rate due to liver disease in people of all ages was 80.9, or between 60.8 to 103.9, per 100,000.The main findings from the profiles for Lincolnshire County were that during 2022 the rate of mortality from liver disease in people under the age of 75 years old was 19.5, or between 16.4 to 22.9, per 100,000. The Lincolnshire County rate was similar to the national mortality rate of 21.4 per 100,000. In the financial year ending 2022, the Lincolnshire County hospital admission rate due to liver disease in people of all ages was 144.3, or between 119.1 to 170.7, per 100,000 population. The Lincolnshire County hospital admission rate was similar to the national rate, of 150.6 per 100,000.

NHS: Pay

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that social enterprises can meet the Agenda for Change pay award without impacting service quality.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department is working with NHS England to provide additional funding to eligible non-National Health Service organisations, including social enterprises, to help deliver the one-off payments of the Agenda for Change pay deal to eligible staff. Eligible organisations are those that have been negatively financially impacted by the pay deal, and whose staff are employed on dynamically linked Agenda for Change contracts.

Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates: Regulation

Tahir Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact on patient safety of the regulation by the General Medical Council of (a) physician and (b) anaesthesia associates.

Andrew Stephenson: Regulation of Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) and Physician Associates (PAs) by the General Medical Council (GMC) will mean that individual AAs and PAs can be held to account if serious concerns are raised.Regulation will provide set standards of practice, education, and training for AAs and PAs as well as requirements around continual professional development and conduct. The GMC set the standards required for entry to its register by approving the curricula and assessments for AA and PA courses. These standards will give assurance that AA and PA students have demonstrated the core knowledge, skills and professional and ethical behaviours necessary to work safely and competently in their areas of practice. Regulation will also help bring further clarity to patients and healthcare professionals on the nature of these roles and their remits.

Eyes: Cancer

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with eye cancer in each of the last five years.

Andrew Stephenson: The National Disease Registration Service in NHS England, as the national cancer registry, collects diagnosis and treatment data on cancer patients in England. The following table shows the number of eye cancer diagnoses, specifically of International Classification of Diseases code C69, each year from 2017 to 2021: YearMalesFemalesTotal20174003417412018384356740201941937279120203382976352021428358786Source: these figures were taken from tables that support National Statistics publication, which are available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/cancer-registration-statistics/england-2021---summary-counts-only However, health is a transferred matter, and for eye cancer diagnosis rates in Northern Ireland you may wish to contact the Department of Health.

NHS: Pay

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she plans to take to help ensure equitable pay for people (a) employed by social enterprises and (b) in other sectors delivering NHS services.

Andrew Stephenson: Independent providers, including social enterprises, are free to develop and adapt their own terms and conditions of employment. This includes the pay scales that they use and any non-consolidated pay awards they choose to make.

Liver Diseases: Screening

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2024 to Question 8221 on Liver Diseases: Screening, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the Government's planned measures on geographic variations in the provision of non-invasive liver scans in community diagnostic centres.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government is aware that its planned measures will lead to geographic variation in the provision of non-invasive liver scans in community diagnostic centres (CDCs). This is because it is up to individual National Health Service integrated care boards to determine, based on local need and local diagnostic pathways, whether introduction of non-invasive liver scans in CDCs is necessary.NHS England is reviewing existing liver fibrosis pathways as part of its wider diagnostic transformation work to determine the best approach for identifying patients at an earlier stage of liver disease. This includes looking at developing a pathway starting in primary care, making use of laboratory-based tests, as well as diagnostics in other settings such as CDCs.

Adrenocortical Carcinoma

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with adrenal cortex carcinoma in each of the last five years.

Andrew Stephenson: The National Disease Registration Service in NHS England, as the national cancer registry, collects diagnosis and treatment data on cancer patients in England. The following table shows the number of adrenal cortex carcinoma diagnoses each year from 2017 to 2021: YearMalesFemalesTotal20171829472018212546201936296520201321342021173451Source: these figures are taken from the tables that support the National Statistics publication, which are available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/cancer-registration-statistics/england-2021---summary-counts-only However, health is a transferred matter, so for cancer diagnosis rates in Northern Ireland you may wish to contact the Department of Health.

Pseudomyxoma Peritonei

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with pseudomyxoma peritonei in each of the last five years.

Andrew Stephenson: The National Disease Registration Service in NHS England, as the national cancer registry, collects diagnosis and treatment data on cancer patients in England. The following table shows the number of pseudomyxoma peritonei diagnoses each year from 2017 to 2021: YearMalesFemalesTotal20172242642018223557201929548320203157882021244165Source: these figures are taken from the tables that support the National Statistics publication, which are available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/cancer-registration-statistics/england-2021---summary-counts-only However, health is a transferred matter, so for cancer diagnosis rates in Northern Ireland you may wish to contact the Department of Health.

NHS: Pay

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions with leaders of social enterprises on (a) NHS sector wage policies and (b) future healthcare planning.

Andrew Stephenson: My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not had recent discussions with leaders of social enterprises. Independent providers, including social enterprises, are free to develop and adapt their own terms and conditions of employment.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors: Sexual Dysfunction

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has received recent representations from relevant stakeholders on the occurrence of post-selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor sexual dysfunction arising from anti-depressants.

Andrew Stephenson: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency receives reports of suspected side effects for medicines, including reports related to sexual dysfunction associated with antidepressants, through the Yellow Card Scheme, from patients and healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom.There is currently a warning about the risk of sexual dysfunction in the product information for Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and this information can be updated if new data becomes available about the nature or occurrence of these side effects, particularly if there are any measures which could be taken to minimise the risk.

Diabetes: Drugs

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to (a) monitor the availability, (b) notify relevant stakeholders of shortages and (c) help ensure adequate supply of (i) Victoza and (ii) other medications for patients with diabetes.

Andrew Stephenson: We are aware of global supply issues with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) including Victoza (liraglutide), which are licensed for treating patients with type 2 diabetes. We have issued guidance in the form of a Medicine Supply Notification, addressing all GLP-1 RAs advising healthcare professionals on how to manage patients requiring these medicines. Further guidance has been issued through a National Patient Safety Alert which provides further background and clinical information and actions for providers. This guidance was futher updated on 3 January 2024.Our guidance is clear that GLP-1 RA medicines that are solely licensed to treat type 2 diabetes should only be used for that purpose and should not be routinely prescribed for weight loss.The General Pharmaceutical Council, General Medical Council, Health and Care Professions Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council and Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland have also issued a joint statement stressing the importance of health and care professionals meeting regulatory standards in relation to these medicines. We have also added some of these products to the list of medicines that cannot be exported from, or hoarded in, the United Kingdom.We are continuing to work closely with manufacturers and others working in the supply chain to help ensure the continued supply of these medicines for UK patients, for example by asking suppliers to expedite deliveries. Supplies of Rybelsus (semaglutide) have been boosted to support demand from new patients with type 2 diabetes, alongside patients switching from Victoza injections.

Measles: East Midlands

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of measles have been reported in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands in each of the last five years.

Maria Caulfield: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes routine data on laboratory confirmed measles. As provided in the latest published data between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023, there have been eight laboratory confirmed cases in the East Midlands.UKHSA does not routinely publish measles case data at local authority level, due to the risk of deductive disclosure. However, the total number of laboratory confirmed cases of measles in the East Midlands for the past five years is:¾ 48 cases in 2019;¾ four cases in 2020;¾ zero cases in 2021;¾ one case in 2022; and¾ eight cases in 2023.Data on monthly cases by age and region is available at the following link:  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measles-epidemiology-2023/confirmed-cases-of-measles-in-england-by-month-age-and-region-2023Data over the last five years is available at the following link:   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measles-confirmed-cases/confirmed-cases-of-measles-in-england-and-wales-by-region-and-age-2012-to-2014From the 1 October 2023 to the 6 February 2024 there have been 11 cases of measles in the East Midlands, provisional and subject to confirmation in the reference laboratory. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measles-epidemiology-2023/national-measles-standard-incident-measles-epidemiology-from-october-2023

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of NHS expenditure on mental health services was spent on children and young people’s mental health services in the latest period for which data is available.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of NHS expenditure was spent on mental health services in the latest period for which data is available.

Maria Caulfield: National Health Service mental health spend from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 totaled £12.7 billion. As a proportion of total recurrent NHS mandate spend of £142.4 billion, this was 8.9%. Of that mental health spend, £1.9 billion or 15% was spent on children and young people’s mental health services, including mental health support teams in schools.

Protective Clothing: Procurement

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the PPE High Priority Lane during the covid-19 pandemic, what recent steps he has taken to pursue contractual remedies to recover funding in instances where contracts failed to deliver.

Andrew Stephenson: The High Priority Lane prioritised offers of personal protective equipment (PPE), with all offers of PPE going through a structured, documented process regardless of the source of the offer.The Department established a Contract Dissolution Team to maximise the value obtained from contracts for PPE. Where a contract has been found to have underperformed, or the PPE provided was not up to standard, the team will commence a process, up to and including legal action, to reach the best possible outcome for taxpayer’s money.We cannot go into the detail of individual contracts at this stage while negotiations and other activities, including legal process, are on-going. Once all activity is complete, we will be able to release more information.

Dental Health: Young Offenders

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of the number of young people in the youth secure estate being reported as having tooth decay in each of the last five years.

Andrea Leadsom: NHS England has statutory responsibility for the direct commissioning of health services in the children and young people secure estate. All children in the secure estate receive individualised care, following an assessment via the Comprehensive Health Assessment Tool. This is an evidence based, validated health assessment tool for under 18-year-olds, which screens for physical health, substance misuse, mental health and neurodisability. This would include any dental care needs. Data on the number of young people in the youth secure estate reported as having tooth decay is not held centrally.

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what change there has been in the rate of sexually transmitted infections since 2012.

Andrea Leadsom: The total rate of new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) decreased from 844.8 per 100,000 in 2013 to 764.4 per 100,000 in 2017. The rate increased in 2018 and 2019, to 801.7 per 100,000 and 831.9 per 100,000 respectively, before falling in 2020 to 550.8 per 100,000. The rate has been increasing since 2021 and 2022, to 560.7 per 100,000 and 694.2 per 100,000 respectively. A table showing the STI diagnosis numbers and rates in England, each year from 2013 to 2022, is attached.Table of New STI diagnosis numbers and rates (docx, 20.9KB)

Genito-urinary Medicine: Expenditure

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information her Department holds on how much local authorities spent on sexual health services in (a) 2017, (b) 2018, (c) 2019, (d) 2020, (e) 2021, (f) 2022 and (g) 2023.

Andrea Leadsom: The following table shows how much local authorities have reported spending on sexual health services, including testing and treatment, contraception and sexual health advice, and prevention and promotion, each financial year from 2017 to 2023:Financial YearSpend2017/18£572,054,0002018/19£555,906,0002019/20£539,484,0002020/21£507,167,0002021/22£530,595,0002022/23£546,928,000Source: Data has come from annual published local authority revenue expenditure which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing Local authorities are responsible for commissioning comprehensive open access to most sexual health services. It is for individual local authorities to decide their spending priorities based on an assessment of local need, and to commission and evaluate the service lines that best suit their population, including online and in-person provision.

PPE Medpro

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps she has taken to reclaim public funds provided to PPE MedPro.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department had been in a mediated process and protected conversations with PPE Medpro over a contested contract. The discussions did not prove fruitful, and the Department commenced the process of litigation by filing papers with the High Court on 19 December 2022. The Department cannot discuss active legal proceedings, although a Humble address covered this issue in January 2023, and notes were laid in both houses.

Brain: Tumours

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will increase the share of overall cancer research funding allocated to brain tumour research.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department invests over £1 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £121.8 million in 2022/23.The NIHR funds research in response to proposals received from scientists, rather than allocating funding to specific disease areas. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. Because of its importance, in May 2018 the Government announced £40 million for brain tumour research as part of the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM) through the NIHR. Since the 2018 announcement, the NIHR has committed £11.3 million across 16 projects. All applications that were considered to be of fundable quality, by scientific peer reviewers, have been funded. To increase the quality, diversity and number of brain cancer research proposals the NIHR is working with the TJBCM and the research community to develop research capacity in the brain cancer community. There is still funding available from the original £40 million announced in 2018. We are committed to funding high-quality brain cancer research, and we expect to spend more as new research progresses.

Pancreatic Cancer: Health Education

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had recent discussions with NHS England on introducing a promotional campaign to help patients recognise early symptoms of pancreatic cancer.

Andrew Stephenson: My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not had recent discussions with NHS England specifically on introducing a promotional campaign to recognise symptoms of pancreatic cancer.NHS England is delivering a range of interventions that are expected to increase early diagnosis and improve outcomes for those with pancreatic cancer. This includes providing a route into pancreatic cancer surveillance for those at inherited high-risk to identify lesions before they develop into cancer and diagnose cancers sooner, creating new pathways to support faster referral routes for people with non-specific symptoms that could be linked to a range of cancer types, and increasing general practice direct access to diagnostic tests. A group has been formed to consider a pathway for Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary cancers, including pancreatic cancer. On the 8 January 2024, NHS England relaunched the Help Us Help You cancer campaigns, designed to increase earlier diagnosis of cancer by reducing barriers to seeking earlier help, as well as increasing body vigilance and knowledge of key red flag symptoms. This campaign address barriers to people coming forward with suspected signs of cancer in general and is not specific to pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic Cancer: South Holland and The Deepings

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to improve pancreatic cancer diagnosis in South Holland and The Deepings constituency.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department is working with NHS England to increase diagnosis of cancer, including pancreatic cancer, across England. This includes plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to help drive up and protect elective activity, including cancer diagnosis, as set out in the Elective Recovery Plan published in February 2022. In addition, the Government awarded £2.3 billion at the 2021 Spending Review to transform diagnostic services over the next three years, most of which will help increase the number of community diagnostic centres (CDCs) up to 160 by March 2025, prioritising CDCs for cancer services.The National Health Service introduced the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS), which aims to ensure patients have cancer diagnosed or ruled out within 28 days of urgent suspected cancer referral from a general practice (GP) or screening services. To achieve the FDS target NHS England are implementing non symptom specific pathways (NSS) for patients who present with non-specific symptoms, or combinations of non-specific symptoms, to receive the right tests at the right time. There are currently 113 NSS pathways live, with the aim to have full national coverage by 2025.To encourage people to see their GP if they notice symptoms that could be cancer, NHS England runs the Help Us, Help You campaigns, which address the barriers that deter patients from accessing the NHS. In addition, the NHS has allocated £10 million to trial innovations that may support earlier and more efficient diagnosis, including a trial for the PinPoint blood test and a new genetic test that may be used as a liquid biopsy for those with suspected pancreatic cancer.

Kidney Diseases: Diagnosis

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the rate of early diagnosis of chronic kidney disease.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing community pharmacists to have a bigger role in diagnosis of chronic kidney disease.

Andrew Stephenson: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance Chronic kidney disease: Assessment and management [NG203], updated in November 2021, sets out best practice for clinicians in the diagnosis and management of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The guidance covers: monitoring for those patients at risk; pharmacological management; and referral where appropriate. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng203In addition to evidence-based guidance to support clinicians to diagnose problems of the kidney, we are also working to detect people at risk of kidney disease through the NHS Health Check Programme. The programme, which is available for everyone between the ages of 40 and 74 years old who are not already on a chronic disease register, assesses people’s health and risk of developing certain health problems. Using this information, patients are supported to make behavioural changes and access treatment which helps to prevent and detect kidney disease earlier.We are investing in new delivery models for the NHS Health Check, including nearly £17 million for the development and roll-out of an innovative new national digital NHS Health Check available this spring, and will give people a choice about where and when to have a check.The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) reviewed CKD and glomerulonephritis in 2011, concluding that a population-wide screening programme would not be recommended, and has not recently looked at the evidence for a targeted programme. The UK NSC can be alerted to any new peer-reviewed evidence published which may support the case for a new screening programme. Proposals to change or review a topic early can be submitted via the UK NSC’s annual call, which will open in July 2024. At present, there are no plans to expand national services in community pharmacy beyond the recently introduced Pharmacy First service.

Maternity Services: Ethnic Groups

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to measure progress made by initiatives to tackle health inequalities in maternity care in the black and Asian community.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England’s three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services outlines an ambition to reduce inequalities for all in access, experience, and outcomes, and provide targeted support where health inequalities exist. As part of this plan, NHS England will utilise several metrics to track the impact on maternity and neonatal outcomes based on ethnicity, to measure progress towards improving equity for mothers and babies. These metrics are of sufficient sensitivity and statistical power to track changes in clinical outcomes for the groups most at risk of adverse outcomes.Ethnic coding data completeness has improved year on year since 2019, helping to better understand health outcomes for different ethnic groups. NHS Resolution’s Maternity Incentive Scheme safety action two also sets a data quality standard to improve ethnic coding data completeness.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2024 to Question 9963 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus, how many and what proportion of those 163 claimants have received an award in relation to a COVID-19 vaccination specifically.

Maria Caulfield: Of the 163 claims to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme that received an award between 31 December 2020 and 16 January 2024, 160 or 98% were claims related to COVID-19.

Mental Health Services: Rural Areas

Sarah Dyke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the adequacy of the provision of mental health services in rural areas.

Maria Caulfield: While there are no plans for a specific assessment, the Government remains committed to supporting rural communities, as set out in its Unleashing Rural Opportunity report, published in June 2023. Since the launch of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee's inquiry into Rural Mental Health in 2021, considerable progress has been made to help ensure access to mental health services in rural areas, as outlined in the Government's response to the committee in November 2023.Notably, since 2018, we have invested an extra £2.3 billion a year to expand mental health services in England, with the aim of enabling two million more people, including those in rural areas, to access mental health support by March 2024.Integrated care boards (ICB) are responsible for decisions about the provision of services in their area and on how funding allocations should be used to meet the needs of people in their areas. There are a range of adjustments made in the ICB allocations formula to account for how the costs of providing health care may vary between different types of rural and urban areas. We expect all ICBs to continue to meet the Mental Health Investment Standard, increasing their mental health spend in line with their overall funding allocations.

Idiopathic Hypersomnia: Drugs

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of when the approval process for the use of Xywav to treat idiopathic hypersomnia will be completed.

Andrew Stephenson: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has not issued a marketing authorisation (MA) for Xywav. Should a MA application be received, the MHRA has procedures in place to review it, such as the 150 Day National procedure or the International Recognition Procedure.

NHS: Digital Technology

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much was spent on the NHS frontline digitisation programme in the 2022-23 financial year; and what assessment she has made of the impact of that expenditure.

Andrew Stephenson: In 2022/23, the Frontline Digitisation programme provided £393 million of capital funding and £45.29 million of revenue funding directly to 159 NHS secondary care provider trusts.The funding is closely monitored throughout the year by the Frontline Digitisation programme’s finance team. The programme’s engagement and assurance teams also monitor progress and delivery throughout the year.

Dementia: Continuing Care

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of the average length of time it takes for a person with Dementia to receive a completed care and support plan.

Helen Whately: Information on the average length of time it takes for a person with dementia to receive a completed care and support plan is not collected centrally.

Ministry of Justice

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of claims made to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme were processed within (a) 12 to 18, (b) 18 to 24 and (c) more than 24 months in the latest period for which data is available.

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average processing time was for claims made to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in the latest period for which data is available.

Laura Farris: The following table shows the number and proportion of claims where a decision was reached within: (i) 0-12 months; (ii) 12 – 18 months; (iii) 18 – 24 months; and (iv) more than 24 months after the date of application. This information is taken from the latest period for which data is available (year 1 April 2022- 31 March 2023) which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/criminal-injuries-compensation-authority/about/statistics. Claims processedNumberProportionTotal34,723-0 - 12 Months23,45667%12 – 18 Months3,74511%18 – 24 Months2,3457%More than 24 Months5,17715% Based on the latest period for which data is available, the average number of days to reach a decision on claims was 391. This information is also for year 1 April 2022-31 March 2023 and can be found at the web address above. CICA recognises that timely compensation can help victims in their recovery both practically and emotionally. CICA aims to assess claims as quickly as possible and the majority are assessed within 12 months. Each case must be considered on its own merits and determined based on the evidence available to support the application. CICA continually reviews its operating practices with the aim of improving the rate of claims of assessed. Last year, the volume of claims resolved was 12% higher than in the previous year and CICA provided £173m in compensation to victims of violent crime.

Young Offender Institutions

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times (a) the National Dog and Technical Support Group was deployed to Youth Offender Institutes and (b) those dogs were used in those deployments in each year since 2017.

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times the National Dog and Technical Support Group was deployed to each youth offender institution in each year since 2017.

Edward Argar: The National Dog and Technical Support Group (NDTSG) provides prison dogs for patrol and detection purposes and a wide range of technical support including the transmission of audio and visual information, and the capability to capture evidence of an incident.The table below states how many times NDTSG was deployed to each Youth Offenders Institute and how many times those dogs were used in those deployments in each year since 2017.Establishment2023202220212020201920182017NDTSG deploymentsDog usesNDTSG deploymentsDog usesNDTSG deploymentsDog usesNDTSG deploymentsDog usesNDTSG deploymentsDog usesNDTSG deploymentsDog usesNDTSG deploymentsDog usesCookham Wood1800020202-2-3-Feltham39328114011046-15-8-Parc37030017018023-30-15-Werrington1321323130000000Wetherby13150101000002-Total1206763371350710470280“–” indicates where dog uses are not recorded pre-2020.NDTSG is deployed to support the National Tactical Response Group (NTRG) with a wide range of technical support including the transmission of audio and visual information, and the capability to capture evidence of an incident. As shown by the number of dog uses, the increased deployment of NDTSG is not necessarily indicative of an increase in the use of dogs. Equally, where dog uses have increased, this may be due to an increase in proactive searches and patrols at establishments, and is not necessarily indicative of responses to disorder.

Horizon IT System: Prosecutions

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the repeal of section 69 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 on the wrongful prosecutions of sub-postmasters.

Mike Freer: Section 69 of Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), provided that computer evidence would not be admissible unless it was shown that (i) there were no reasonable grounds for believing the evidence was inaccurate because of improper use of the computer and (ii) the computer was operating effectively at the time. This was repealed in 2000 based upon the recommendation of a Law Commission review which identified a number of shortcomings with the legislation.Section 69 of PACE was replaced by the Common Law rule, namely that a “presumption will exist that the computer producing the evidential record was working properly at the material time and that the record is therefore admissible as real evidence". There are safeguards in place which allow for this presumption to be rebutted if evidence to the contrary is adduced.We are considering the issues relating to computer evidence arising from the Post Office cases and the findings of the courts where there have been appeals. The courts have raised concerns about the “egregious” behaviour of the Post Office in the way that it prosecuted these cases. In particular, concerns have been raised about the way reliability of evidence from the Horizon system was presented and how failures of investigation and disclosure prevented that evidence from being effectively challenged.We await the outcome of Sir Wyn Williams’ Inquiry which is examining in detail the failings that led to the Post Office scandal. It would not be appropriate for the Government to pre-empt those findings.Pending the outcome of the Inquiry, the Criminal Procedure Rules Committee will consider current practices and potential problems relating to the reliability of computer evidence, drawing on case law and experience in England and Wales and other jurisdictions.

Young Offender Institutions

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times Nico 9 stun grenades were used in each youth offender institution in each year since 2017.

Edward Argar: HMPPS uses Nico 9 Stun grenades as a distraction device during planned interventions as part of an agreed tactical plan. They can only be employed by National Tactical Response Group (NTRG) staff who are highly trained in their use. The table below states how many times Nico 9 stun grenades were used in each Youth Offender Institution in each year since 2017.Establishment2023202220212020201920182017Cookham Wood0000101Feltham0000100Parc0100000Werrington1000000Wetherby0000000Total1100201

Department for Work and Pensions

Local Housing Allowance and Universal Credit

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information her Department holds on the median (a) difference between the cost of rent and the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) in households where rent exceeds the LHA and (b) deduction of universal credit claims due to (i) universal credit advances, (ii) universal credit overpayments, (iii) tax credit overpayments and (iv) other reasons for people in the private rented sector for whom the LHA does not fully cover their rent.

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claims for which the local housing allowance did not cover rent were subject to deductions for (a) universal credit advances, (b) universal credit overpayments, (c) tax credit overpayments and (d) any combination thereof.

Jo Churchill: Government spends around £30bn annually on housing support. In addition, Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates will be increased from April 2024 to the 30th percentile of local market rents. This will mean 1.6 million private renters in receipt of Housing Benefit or Universal Credit (UC) will gain on average around £800 a year in additional help towards their rental costs in 2024-25. This is at a cost of £7bn over five years. The Secretary of State has committed to review LHA rates annually. That review includes consideration of current rents, as well as the broader fiscal context. LHA rates are not intended to meet all rents in all areas: instead, it ensures that claimants in similar circumstances and area are treated the same. For those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs and require additional support Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available from local authorities. Since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.7 billion to local authorities for households who need additional support with their housing costs. The requested information is provided below Table 1: Median deduction amount for households where Local Housing Allowance does not cover rent in August 2023.Deduction typeMedian deduction amount for the selected deduction typeAdvance Repayments£43DWP non-fraud overpayments£49Tax Credit overpayments£42Other (Not in the above)£25 Table 2: Number of households where Local Housing Allowance does not cover rent in August 2023.Deduction typeNumber of HouseholdsAdvance Repayments270,000DWP non-fraud overpayments140,000Tax Credit overpayments90,000Households with any combination of: advance repayments, DWP non-fraud overpayments or tax credit overpayments380,000  I refer the member to the answer provided on 31 January 2024, that shows the median difference between the cost of rent and the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) in households where rent exceeds the LHA, available here: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament Notes:1. Household numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10,000 and deduction amounts have been rounded to the nearest £1.2. Deductions include advance repayments, third party deductions and all other deductions, but exclude sanctions and fraud penalties which are reductions of benefit rather than deductions.3. "Advances" include all four UC advance types: New Claim, Benefit Transfer, Budgeting and Change of Circumstances.4. The tables include the number of distinct Universal Credit households subject to a deduction in August 2023.5. Households could have more than one deduction type so adding claims by deduction type may not sum to the total.6. The 'other' category in table 1 includes households with a deduction, where the deduction type is not the following: universal credit advances, DWP non-fraud overpayments, tax credit overpayments. The median given is of the sum of all 'other' deductions for each household.7. It is not possible to separate UC overpayments from other DWP non-fraud overpayments.8. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.

Household Support Fund

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Local Government Association and (b) local authorities on the merits of the Household Support Fund.

Jo Churchill: The current Household Support Fund runs from April 2023 until the end of March 2024, and the Government continues to keep all its existing programmes under review in the usual way.

Employment: Rural Areas

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps is he is taking to support job seekers in rural areas.

Jo Churchill: In Lincolnshire, and across the country, our Jobcentre teams are supporting people back into work and helping those in work to progress. We have a comprehensive range of support in place and are working with local and national employers to help fill vacancies quickly, delivering sector-based work academy programmes (SWAPs), recruitment days, job fairs, and work trials. Jobcentres have the flexibility to work alongside national and local organisations to help meet the needs of their communities, including in rural areas. In Lincolnshire, the department worked with the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership on provision to assist with a shortage of drivers in the logistics sectors, with training delivered through Boston, Stamford, and Lincoln colleges with good levels of take up. Adequate transport links can be a major factor that affects employment, and claimants are made aware of the bus fare cap operating throughout Lincolnshire and the East Midlands, operated by local bus companies. DWP works closely with Boston College that provides outreach services in Spalding, as well as bus transport to facilitate access to their services from rural areas. Boston College also delivers their digital course within Spalding Jobcentre, for those unable to travel into Boston. Where access is still difficult, we have engaged with other providers to deliver virtual programmes, for example NetUK and Steadfast. We have also worked with Lincolnshire County Council for delivery of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision to be delivered in the Spalding Jobcentre.

Job Centres: Disability

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support is available if a claimant cannot attend a Job Centre appointment due to a disability.

Jo Churchill: Where a claimant on a work-related benefit has a health condition, illness or a disability, Work Coaches have the discretion to tailor requirements to what is reasonable and achievable, taking into account the claimant’s needs, circumstances and capability. Where appropriate, Work Coaches have the discretion to adjust how often the claimant meets with them and how these meetings take place, including face to face appointments in the Jobcentre, telephone appointments, video conference, or digital appointments for Universal Credit claimants. In some circumstances a claimant’s work-related requirements maybe be lifted for a period if their ability to carry them out is disrupted due to their personal circumstances. If a claimant is deemed to be vulnerable or needs additional support when making an application for benefit, the DWP Visiting Team can meet with them at their home or another location to support with their claim.

Department for Education

Hearing Impairment: Teachers

Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of (a) support and (b) funding for training teachers of the deaf; and what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of teachers of the deaf in each local authority.

Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers have completed the mandatory qualification in sensory impairment (MQSI) in the last five years; and what estimate she has made of how many teachers will complete this qualification in the next two years.

David Johnston: It is the responsibility of local authorities, schools and further education settings to commission appropriately qualified staff to support the education of children and young people in their area.To offer the mandatory qualification in sensory impairment (MQSI), providers must be approved by the Secretary of State for Education. The department’s aim is to ensure a steady supply of teachers of children with visual, hearing and multi-sensory impairments in both specialist and mainstream settings. There are currently six providers of the MQSI, with a seventh from September 2024. The department does not have published data on the number of teachers that have completed the MQSI.The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) has also developed a sensory impairment apprenticeship and expect it to be available from 2025. This will open a paid, work-based route into teaching children and young people with sensory impairments by enabling people to undertake high-quality apprenticeships.

Further Education: Extracurricular Activities

Jane Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of using (a) the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme and (b) other enrichment opportunities to develop skills for the workplace within a further education setting alongside the work placement required in T-Level qualifications.

Robert Halfon: Employability, enrichment and pastoral (EEP) are an important part of current post-16 study programmes as they prepare students for future education, employment and life.T Levels were introduced in 2020, and are high-quality, Level 3 qualifications that equip students with the skills, knowledge and behaviours they need to progress into skilled employment. As set out in the department’s delivery guidance, providers are encouraged to take advantage of EEP support and work taster activities in the first and/or second year of the T Level programme to help with student preparation. This guidance can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1163906/T_Level_industry_placements_-_delivery_guidance.pdf.As part of the T Level, students also complete a minimum of 315 hours in an industry placement working with external employers. The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme and other enrichment opportunities can be incorporated into a T Level industry placement, provided that the activity is occupationally relevant to the T Level and meets all requirements outlined in our T Level delivery placements guidance. To do this, providers may choose to incorporate one or more of the flexible delivery approaches outlined in our guidance.

Universities: Freedom of Expression

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of universities accepting funding from entities linked to the Chinese People's Liberation Army on academic freedom.

Robert Halfon: The Integrated Review Refresh, which this government published in March 2023, sets out in clear terms the UK’s policy towards engagement with China and Chinese entities.Higher education (HE) providers are autonomous institutions and are responsible for ensuring they have adequate governance, risk management procedures and policies in place, including on the acceptance of donations. HE providers will also have their own due diligence procedures which should consider reputational, ethical and security risks.The department expects the HE sector to be alert to risks when collaborating with any international partners. Guidance published by Universities UK advises HE providers how to engage in international collaborations safely and securely. This guidance also includes a recommendation that due diligence should be conducted on all international partnerships and it is available here: https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/what-we-do/policy-and-research/publications/managing-risks-internationalisation.The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 will ensure that HE providers in England have the tools they need to deal with interference with, and threats to, freedom of speech and academic freedom wherever they originate. The Act will enable the Office for Students to monitor the overseas funding of registered HE providers and their constituent institutions and student’s unions, and to take appropriate action. Provisions in the Act dealing with overseas funding are expected to come into force from 1 September 2025.

Education: Boys

Nick Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has taken steps to implement recommendation 27 on page 260 of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's report entitled Equality and Human Rights Monitor, published in November 2023, on the under-performance of boys relative to girls in primary and secondary education.

Damian Hinds: Raising attainment for all pupils, no matter their gender or background is at the heart of this government’s agenda and the government is committed to providing a world-class education system for all.The latest data shows that, while girls continue to outperform boys across most headline measures, the gender gap between boys and girls is narrowing.At key stage 2 in 2022/23, the gender gap between boys and girls at the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics has decreased since 2022 and is the lowest it has been since 2016. Key stage 4 results show the gender gap has narrowed across all headline measures when comparing 2022/23 with both 2018/19 and 2021/22.The Schools White Paper, published in March 2022, was clear about the direction of travel needed to improve attainment. It set out the department’s long-term vision for a school system that helps every child to fulfil their potential by ensuring that they receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time – founded on achieving world-class literacy and numeracy.This is supported by significant investment in education with the overall core school budget totalling over £59.6 billion in 2024/25 which is the highest ever level in real terms per pupil. This will help schools in their vital work to close attainment gaps, and level up educational opportunities.Alongside this, the department takes a range of steps to improve attainment and outcomes for all pupils, including improving the quality of teaching and curriculum resources, strengthening the school system, increasing attendance, and providing targeted support where needed.The department is aware that disadvantaged pupils and those with additional needs are more likely to fall behind and need extra support to reach their full potential. This is why the department has provided additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils through the pupil premium, which will rise to over £2.9 billion in 2024/25, an increase of £80 million from 2023/24.Programmes such as free school meals that support 2 million children, the Holiday Activities and Food programme, and support for up to 2,700 breakfast clubs also support disadvantaged pupils.The department continues to collaborate with other government departments to address out-of-school factors that we know have a significant impact on attainment outcomes.

Childcare: Fees and Charges

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of support available to postgraduate research students with the cost of childcare.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on the potential merits of extending childcare grants to postgraduate research students.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to extend childcare grants to postgraduate research students.

David Johnston: Through the student loans company, the department offers a specific Childcare Grant (CCG) to support students with the costs of childcare whilst they are in study, which totals around £202 million per year.The CCG offers parents support of up to 85% of their childcare costs up to a maximum of £183.75 a week for one child and £315.03 for two children.CCG support is provided to individuals where both parents are students, the student is a lone parent, or the student parent’s partner is on a low income.The government has no plans to extend CCG to postgraduate research students.The government introduced new support packages for students starting postgraduate master’s degree courses from the 2016/17 academic year onwards and postgraduate doctoral degree courses from 2018/19 onwards.These loans are not based on income and are intended as a contribution to the cost of study. They can be used by students according to their personal circumstances to cover the costs of fees and living costs including childcare. The new support packages have provided a significant uplift in support for postgraduate students while ensuring the student support system remains financially sustainable.Students studying on postgraduate courses can apply for loans towards their course fees and living costs of up to £12,167 in 2023/24 for new students undertaking postgraduate master’s degree courses, and up to £28,673 in 2023/24 for new students undertaking postgraduate doctoral degree courses.As postgraduate stipends are not classified as income for tax purposes by HMRC, meaning that neither PhD students nor their university pay Income Tax or National Insurance Contributions on their stipend, stipends are therefore not counted as income from work. However, it remains the case that students are eligible for universal 15 hours childcare, which is available to all 3 and 4 yearolds, regardless of family circumstances and/or income.

Educational Institutions: Food

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent guidance her Department has provided to (a) schools and (b) other educational institutions on food (i) labelling and (ii) allergens.

Damian Hinds: The department provides statutory guidance for schools, ‘Supporting pupils with medical conditions’, which makes clear that schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with allergies and have processes in place to ensure these can be well managed. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools/allergy-guidance-for-schools.   In early years settings, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework sets the standards that all registered early years providers must meet for the learning, development and care of children from birth to age five. The framework is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.The EYFS states that before a child is admitted to the setting the provider must also obtain information about any special dietary requirements, preferences and food allergies that the child has, and any special health requirements.The EYFS signposts to the Department of Health and Social Care document ‘Example menus for early years settings in England’ which includes guidance on menu planning, food safety, managing food allergies and reading food labels, which staff preparing food will find helpful in ensuring that children are kept safe. The guidance is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/658870/Early_years_menus_part_1_guidance.pdf.The ‘Help for early years providers’ online platform, owned by the department, has a food safety page which also signposts to resources on allergies. This page is available at: https://help-for-early-years-providers.education.gov.uk/safeguarding-and-welfare/food-safety#allergies. The department is also developing nutrition content for the platform which will have a section on allergies and resources such as a common allergies table.Higher education (HE) institutions and further education institutions are autonomous and it is the responsibility of individual HE institutions to implement and adhere to relevant guidelines with regards to labelling and allergens.The Food Standards Agency (FSA) promotes its resources including information on allergen labelling and management to all food business operators including schools, nurseries, colleges, and other institutional caterers.The FSA has published guidance relevant to schools and other educational institutions including sector specific guidance in July 2021 for new allergen labelling legislation which came into force in October 2021. Guidance for institutional caterers (including schools) has been on the FSA website since at least 2017. This has links to training courses offered by allergy charities. In September 2020, the FSA also launched free allergen training which has had over 530,000 users to date, with nearly 75,000 of these being from the education sector.

Free School Meals: Finance

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 22 June 2023 to Question 189943 on Free School Meals: Finance, what assessment her Department has made of the report Hungry for Change, published on 27 June 2019 by Northumbria University.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether free school meal providers are entitled to keep money allocated to but not spent on free school meals.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2023 to Question 189943 on Free School Meals: Finance, whether her Department issues guidance on recouping unspent funds allocated to free school meals.

Damian Hinds: The department spends over £1 billion each year on free meals, which now support over one third of pupils in England. In 2023/24, the Free School Meal (FSM) factor of the National Funding Formula designates £480 per eligible pupil. This is increasing to £490 in 2024/25. Schools are allocated un-ringfenced funding through their core budgets to provide these free meals for disadvantaged pupils. This system recognises that schools are best placed to make decisions about how they use their funding and gives them considerable freedom in how they best deliver educational provision to their pupils.The department is aware of concerns highlighted in the Hungry for Change report. It is for schools to deliver FSM provision and, in line with their duties, to ensure eligible pupils receive free and nutritious meals every day. Schools have freedom over the way in which they achieve this.

Schools: Asbestos

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of how many schools who have incurred a financial cost to manage asbestos on their premises in the last 12 months.

Damian Hinds: Safe and well-maintained school buildings are a priority for the department. The department has allocated over £15 billion to improve the condition of schools since 2015, including £1.8 billion this financial year. This funding is informed by consistent data on the condition of the estate.The department expects responsible bodies, including local authorities, governing bodies and academy trusts, to have robust plans in place to manage any asbestos in school buildings effectively in line with their legal duties.The department follows advice from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which states that, as long as asbestos is in good condition, not vulnerable to damage and carefully managed, it is usually safer to manage it in situ. The department is committed to working collaboratively with HSE, as the regulator, to support schools and duty holders.The department has not made an assessment of how many schools have incurred a financial cost to manage asbestos. Asbestos is managed by responsible bodies and schools at a local level, including determining how management is funded. The department supports them by providing guidance on the safe management of asbestos and providing access to capital funding each year. Schools are either eligible for School Condition Allocation funding to prioritise improving the condition of their schools, or they are able to bid into the Condition Improvement Fund annual bidding round, to apply for funding for specific capital projects. All schools also receive funding to spend on their capital priorities or to contribute to larger projects through an annual Devolved Formula Capital allocation. Condition funding can be used to remove asbestos when required, often as part of a wider condition project.Where responsible bodies have serious issues with buildings that cannot be managed locally, the department provides additional support on a case-by-case basis.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Iran: Pakistan

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help prevent the escalation of violence on the Pakistani-Iranian border.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Foreign Secretary made clear to the Iranian Foreign Minister, who he met on 17 January, that Iran must stop using the regional situation as cover to act recklessly. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, Minister of State for South Asia, spoke to the Pakistani Foreign Minister on 19 January and underlined the importance of avoiding further escalation. This complements high-level diplomatic discussions led by UK officials in Pakistan.

Afghanistan: Politics and Government

Paul Bristow: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, when the latest Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability assessment was reviewed for Afghanistan.

Paul Bristow: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will publish the latest Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability assessment for Afghanistan; and if he will place a copy in the House Commons Library.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Government last formally revised its Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability (JACS) for Afghanistan in 2019. We continue to carefully monitor the situation in Afghanistan with new reports and assessments commissioned by the UK and our partners on an on-going basis.Due to the highly sensitive conflict context in Afghanistan, the latest JACS is not a public document. Other analysis is available, including the annual report issued by the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) that covers threats to conflict and stability worldwide. Further reports and assessments of a specific nature are released on a case-by-case basis.

EU Institutions: Religious Freedom

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact for his policies of the recent Court of Justice of the European Union ruling on the prohibition of visible religious symbols in government offices within the European Union.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterparts in EU member states on the potential impact of the Court of Justice of the European Union's ruling on religious symbols on (a) Sikhs, (b) Muslims, (c) Jews and (d) Christians.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications of the ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union to allow religious symbols to be banned in public sector workplaces for his policies on international religious (a) freedom and (b) expression.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to initiate discussions with his European counterparts on the potential impact of the Court of Justice of the European Union's recent ruling on visible religious symbols for British citizens who work in the EU.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We note the recent Court of Justice of the European Union (EU) ruling on the prohibition of visible religious symbols in government offices.This case is a matter for the EU and its Member States. We will continue, as part of our wider work on freedom of religion or belief, to monitor the situation of religious or belief communities, including where applicable, as this relates to British citizens working in the EU.The UK Government is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all, and promoting mutual respect, here in the UK and internationally. Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) is a longstanding human rights priority for the UK.

Israel: Arms Trade

Richard Burgon: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to paragraph 44 of the summary grounds of the Secretary of State in the case of The King (on the application of Al-Haq) v. Secretary of State for Business and Trade, AC-2023-LON-003634, for what reason the assessment on Israel's commitment to comply with international humanitarian law was deferred for ministerial decision.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We regularly review advice about Israel's capability and commitment to International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and act in accordance with that advice. As the Foreign Secretary has said, Israel has the capability and commitment to act within IHL, but we are also deeply concerned about the impact on the civilian population in Gaza. We continue to call for IHL to be respected and civilians to be protected. The Foreign Secretary stressed this with Israeli political leaders in his visit of 24 January.

Ukraine: Politics and Government

Adam Holloway: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring political institutional reform in Ukraine as a condition of providing reconstruction aid to that country.

Leo Docherty: The new UK-Ukraine Agreement on Security Cooperation sets out our reform expectations for the Government of Ukraine, aligning with priority reforms set by NATO, the EU, the International Monetary Fund and our G7 Partners. Ukraine has continued to reiterate its commitment to making progress on reforms as part of the EU accession process and its reconstruction efforts. Institutional reform is a key part of Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction efforts to build back better, ensuring greater transparency and oversight. The UK has been providing technical assistance to key political institutional reforms, including anti-corruption and electoral reform in Ukraine.

Ukraine: Public Sector

Adam Holloway: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart on taking steps to help tackle public sector corruption in that country.

Leo Docherty: Ukraine has made significant progress on anti-corruption reform since 2014. As the Ukrainian Government recognises, there remains more to do. The UK-funded Good Governance Fund Ukraine, a £38 million three-year technical assistance programme, has been supporting key anti-corruption and governance reforms in Ukraine, including the relaunch of the High Council of Justice and High Qualification Commission of Judges, institutions critical to a judiciary free from unlawful interference. The UK also supports defence reform, providing senior UK advisory support to the Ministry of Defence and Defence Reform Advisory Board.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the report entitled Intimidation as Foreign Policy, published by Policy Exchange on 29 January 2024.

David Rutley: The Department is considering the Policy Exchange report of 29 January 2024. The UK's continued priority is to ensure the long term continued effective operation of the joint UK/US military base on Diego Garcia. Mauritius has also publicly committed to this goal.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his Mauritian counterpart on sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

David Rutley: The Foreign Secretary has not had recent discussions with his Mauritian counterpart on sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory. Discussions continue at senior official level. The UK's priority is to ensure the long term continued effective operation of the joint UK/US military base on Diego Garcia. Mauritius has also publicly committed to this goal.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will stop negotiations with Mauritius over the British Indian Ocean Territory.

David Rutley: The UK and Mauritius are continuing negotiations with Mauritius over the British Indian Ocean Territory.The UK's priority is to ensure the long term continued effective operation of the joint UK/US military base on Diego Garcia. Mauritius has also publicly committed to this goal.

Dominica: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much of the UK aid pledged to Dominica following Hurricane Maria has been distributed to which projects.

David Rutley: The UK provided over £196 million to all the countries impacted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. For Dominica, this included £7 million in humanitarian relief and a £25 million reconstruction grant through the UK Caribbean Infrastructure Fund for water and wastewater infrastructure upgrades. In addition, the UK has committed over £46 million to further strengthen resilience in Dominica, through: the Climate Resilience Execution Agency of Dominica (£3.8 million); retrofitting seven health facilities (£5.5 million); geothermal well drilling (£8.7 million); skills training for disadvantaged youth (£2 million); small business development; technical assistance in disaster preparedness; and £26 million to renovate the Loubiere to Grand Bay Road.

Home Office

Prisoners: Repatriation

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) foreign and (b) dual nationals who have been (i) convicted of an offence subject to more than 12 month imprisonment and (ii) deported in each of the last five years.

Michael Tomlinson: The information requested is not available from published statistics. The Home Office does publish information on a quarterly basis on FNOs returns and can be found at: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Foreign offenders should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them and more than 16,600 have been removed since January 2019 to September 2023. We make no apology for this vital work.

Research: China

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of universities sharing academic research with Chinese investors on UK security.

Tom Tugendhat: China poses an epoch-defining and systemic challenge under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) across almost every aspect of national life and government policy. We continually assess potential threats to UK security, and the Integrated Review and Integrated Review Refresh committed to strengthening the UK’s domestic resilience and international partnerships.The Integrated Review Refresh 2023 also committed to launching a new and comprehensive review of legislative and other protections designed to protect our academic sector, to identify what more we could or should be doing, led by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). This review will conclude in the spring and will include an understanding of potential vulnerabilities relating to foreign access to academic research.We have also introduced measures in recent years to protect our science and innovation base from state threats and misuse. This includes the establishment of the Research Collaboration Advice Team (RCAT) within DSIT, which supports the academic sector to recognise, manage and mitigate national security risks in international collaborations. RCAT has been positively received by the sector and is part of advice and guidance from Government helping to move research institutions beyond basic legal compliance to a more robust understanding of research security risks.The National Security Act 2023 will make the UK an even harder target for states who seek to conduct hostile acts against the UK, steal our information for commercial advantage, or interfere in our society covertly. The Act creates a whole suite of measures designed to enable our law enforcement and intelligence agencies to deter, detect and disrupt the full range of modern-day state threats, including those related to academia.

Asylum: Employment

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of replacing the Shortage Occupation List with the Immigration Salary List on the number of asylum seekers who are eligible to work who are in employment.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Secretary has commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to carry out a rapid review of the new Immigration Salary List (ISL) in time for its implementation in the Spring Immigration Rules. The MAC is due to report on 23 February, at which point the Government will consider its recommendations carefully. We will keep the list under regular review and the MAC will carry out a fuller review later in the year. The introduction of the ISL will not undermine our policy that asylum claims by an individual applying for permission to work must still be outstanding for 12 months or more and any resulting changes to the policy will be announced in due course.

Knives: Crime

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many offences involving (a) knives and (b) other sharp instruments were recorded in a (i) domestic residence and (ii) non-domestic setting by each police force in England and Wales in the last year for which information is available; and if he will provide a breakdown of those figures by the gender of the victim.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has received representations from (a) the police and (b) other bodies on the rounding of kitchen knives as a means of reducing the risk of injury in knife offending in domestic residential settings.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will commission research into the prevalence of offending with (a) knives and (b) other sharp instruments in domestic residential settings.

Chris Philp: The Home Office does not hold the requested data. Statistics on knife or sharp instrument offences may be found as part of the Office for National Statistics release: Crime in England and Wales: year ending September 2023.www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingseptember2023There are no plans at present to commission specific research to provide a data set about prevalence of knife / sharp instrument offending in domestic residential settings.The Home Office regularly considers representations about knife crime and knives from interested parties including the police, Members of Parliament and members of the public. This has on occasion included representations about round tipped kitchen knives reducing the risk of injury.

Fraud

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he has taken to help reduce (a) advance fee fraud and (b) other consumer retail scams.

Tom Tugendhat: As part of implementation of the Government’s Fraud Strategy ‘Advance fee fraud’ has decreased by 33% since the year ending September 2022 from 546,000 to 367,000 offences (CSEW data). We have introduced a series of sector charters with industry to agree voluntary actions to protect consumers. Last year, the Government published the Online Fraud Charter which seeks to block fraud at source, making reporting fraud easier for users and decreasing the time it takes to remove content and advertisements found to be fraudulent.

Asylum: Sexual Offences

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he is taking steps to ensure that asylum seekers convicted of sexual offences are not granted indefinite right to remain in the UK.

Tom Pursglove: The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 strengthened existing legislation to provide that anyone convicted of a particularly serious crime resulting in a custodial sentence of 12 months or more and are considered a danger to the UK, will be denied asylum and can be considered for removal from the UK. Settlement is a privilege, not an automatic right, and if a refugee has engaged in criminality, it is appropriate that they are denied the benefits of settlement.

Asylum: Christianity

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers have been granted the right to remain in the UK on the ground of fear of persecution because of their religion of Christianity in each of the last five years.

Tom Pursglove: This information is not recorded in a reportable format. Information regarding initial decisions on asylum applications, by outcome, is contained within the ASY_D02 tab of the Asylum applications, decisions and resettlement dataset: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). This does not include the grounds for granting leave to remain in the UK.

Hate Crime: Research

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2023 to Question 5245 on Hate crime: research, if he will publish the final reports of the research projects commissioned from (a) IPSOS UK and (b) RAND Europe.

Laura Farris: We are considering options to publish the final reports of the commissioned research projects in due course.

Horticulture: Seasonal Workers

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many workers who entered the UK on the horticultural Seasonal Worker visa worked for fewer than 20 weeks, in the most latest period for which data is available.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether workers in the UK on the horticultural seasonal worker visa have access to employment law remedies; what information his Department provides to workers in the UK on the horticultural seasonal worker visa on their rights in the workplace; and how many workers who were issued a horticultural seasonal worker visa for the UK received redress following a complaint about violations of their rights in the workplace in the latest period for which data is available.

Tom Pursglove: Migrant workers are entitled to the same rights and protection under employment legislation as resident seasonal workers.As part of their duties as Seasonal Worker operators, sponsors provide seasonal workers with information about their rights and how to raise concerns. The Home Office monitors this by interviewing workers and engaging with sponsors to check what information is provided and in what format. The majority of workers also undertake pre-departure orientation courses, developed by the International Organisation for Migration. The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) also produce and distribute similar material at source of recruitment. The overwhelming majority of migrant complaints are minor and are swiftly addressed by a worker’s scheme operator. Any significant breach of employment rights would be a matter of UK employment law. The Home Office does not have any published data on this particular matter. The Home Office does not publish data on the length of employment of seasonal workers.

Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority: Finance

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total budget of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority was in each financial year since 2010-11.

Laura Farris: Allocation of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority’s (GLAA) annual budget has been the responsibility of the Home Office since April 2014. Prior to this, the budget was held by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The Home Office does not have readily available access to information on total budgets covering the period of 2010-2014 when it was held by DEFRA. Accordingly, the total GLAA budget in each financial year since its transfer to the Home Office in 2014 is presented in the following table: YearTotal Budget (£Ms)2014-2015£1.612015-2016£1.972016-2017£5.602017-2018£7.662018-2019£6.702019-2020£6.702020-2021£6.752021-2022£7.122022-2023£6.622023-2024£7.77

Alcoholic Drinks: Licensing Laws

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the impact of licensing provisions on the use of alcohol.

Chris Philp: The Licensing Act 2003 provides a clear and effective legislative framework to regulate licensable activities, including the sale and supply of alcohol.The Act strikes a balance between providing safeguards in the licensing system to promote public safety, prevent crime and disorder and ensure the responsible consumption of alcohol, while recognising the contribution licensed premises make to thriving night-time economies.We keep the Act under review and work closely with licensing practitioners to ensure the regime remains fit for purpose. We also regularly update the statutory guidance that is provided to licensing authorities to assist them in carrying out their functions under the Act.

Asylum: Catterick Garrison

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) asylum seekers and (b) refugees of which nationalities are housed at Catterick Garrison.

Tom Pursglove: There are no asylum seekers housed at Catterick Garrison. The Government is using MOD Service Family Accommodation including at Catterick Garrison to provide settled accommodation for Afghans who are eligible for relocation to the UK under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy. We are continuing work on other uses for Catterick.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Power Stations: Hydrogen

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what her Department's latest estimate is of the capital expenditure cost of a new 1GW green hydrogen plant commissioning by 2030.

Andrew Bowie: ‘Hydrogen Production Costs 2021’, published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in August 2021, sets out the levelised cost, based on commissioning year, of various hydrogen production technologies. The information requested can be found in the table ‘Technical and cost assumptions (2020 real prices) within the annex to the report. The capital expenditure associated with a 1GW electrolytic plant commissioning in 2030 ranges from £433 million to £1,708 million depending on the technology. Please see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hydrogen-production-costs-2021 We will continue to monitor and update cost estimates based on new evidence as it becomes available.

Power Stations: Hydrogen

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what her Department's latest estimate is of the capital expenditure cost of a new 1GW blue hydrogen plant commissioning by 2030.

Andrew Bowie: ‘Hydrogen Production Costs 2021’, published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in August 2021, sets out the levelised cost of various hydrogen production technologies. The information requested can be found in the table ‘Technical and cost assumptions (2020 real prices) within the annex to the report. Therefore, the cost from the table is £531 /kW hydrogen HHV meaning £531M for the 1GW plant.Please see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hydrogen-production-costs-2021We will continue to monitor and update cost estimates based on new evidence as it becomes available.

Power Stations: Hydrogen

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate her Department has made of the operating expenditure cost of generating one tonne of blue hydrogen in a plant commissioning by 2030.

Andrew Bowie: 'Hydrogen Production Costs 2021’, published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in August 2021, sets out the levelised cost of various hydrogen production technologies. The annex to the report (worksheet '2030_R') sets out a range of levelised costs for gas reformation with CCUS (blue) hydrogen production commissioning in 2030. Costs range from 1,454 to 3,096 £/tonne hydrogen depending on technology [1]. Please see:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hydrogen-production-costs-2021We will continue to monitor and update cost estimates based on new evidence as it becomes available.[1] Costs are calculated on the basis that the hydrogen is used for combustion and the latent heat of vaporisation of water is recovered.

Hydrogen

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much green hydrogen the UK will produce in (a) 2024, (b) 2028, (c) 2030 and (d) 2050.

Andrew Bowie: Electrolytic ‘green’ hydrogen projects are delivered through our annual Hydrogen Allocation Rounds (HARs). In December we announced HAR1 would support 125MW of production capacity across 11 projects. We aim to support up to 875MW through HAR2, giving up to 1GW green hydrogen production capacity in operation or construction by 2025. The level of production in each year will depend on the outcome of HARs, operational dates for projects and their individual operating patterns. We aim to have up to 6GW of green hydrogen production capacity by 2030, while by 2050 hydrogen could supply up to 35% of UK energy consumption.

Hydrogen

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an estimate of the level of demand for green hydrogen in industrial uses in (a) 2024, (b) 2028, (c) 2030, and (d) 2050.

Andrew Bowie: As set out in the Hydrogen Transport and Storage Networks Pathway, our analysis suggests that by 2030, the potential demand for low carbon hydrogen as a fuel in UK industry (including industrial non-road mobile machinery) could be between 12-19 TWh. This could rise to 25-50 TWh by 2035, and 25-110 TWh by 2050.

Power Stations: Hydrogen

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what her Department's latest estimate is of the capital expenditure cost of a new 1GW hydrogen-fired power plant commissioning by 2030.

Andrew Bowie: Figures published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in the Electricity generation costs 2023 report estimate that a 1.2 GW Combined Cycle Hydrogen Turbine (CCHTs) would cost £830million in 2025 to construct, falling to £740million by 2040. Hydrogen to Power is an emerging technology and as such all figures are subject to change. We will continue to monitor and update cost estimates based on new evidence as it becomes available. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-generation-costs-2023

Power Stations: Hydrogen

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what her Department's latest estimate is of the mass of hydrogen that would be produced per running hour by a 1GW blue hydrogen plant.

Andrew Bowie: A 1GW[1] blue hydrogen production plant running for 1 hour at full capacity would produce 1GWh of hydrogen, equivalent to 25.4 tons. [1] Rated as 1GW on the basis that the hydrogen it produces will be used for combustion and the latent heat of vaporisation of water is recovered

Power Stations: Hydrogen

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate she has made of the mass of hydrogen required to be burned in a hydrogen-fired power plant to generate 1GWh of electricity.

Andrew Bowie: Figures published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in the June 2022 Hydrogen Readiness Report suggest that an 800MWh hydrogen-fired power plant would require 50 tonnes of hydrogen fuel per hour. Therefore, a 1GWh plant could be expected to require 62.5 tonnes of hydrogen. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-generation-costs-2023

Power Stations: Hydrogen

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate she has made of the operating expenditure cost of generating one tonne of green hydrogen in a plant commissioning by 2030.

Andrew Bowie: ‘Hydrogen Production Costs 2021’, published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in August 2021, sets out the levelised cost of various hydrogen production technologies. Please see:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hydrogen-production-costs-2021 We will continue to monitor and update cost estimates based on new evidence as it becomes available.

Power Stations: Hydrogen

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate she has made of the annual operating expenditure of a 1GW hydrogen-fired power plant commissioned in 2030.

Andrew Bowie: The Electricity generation costs 2023 report published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero sets out the assumptions for a hydrogen-fired Combined Cycle Hydrogen Turbine power plant commissioned in 2030. Hydrogen to Power is an emerging technology and as such all figures are subject to change. We will continue to monitor and update cost estimates based on new evidence as it becomes available. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-generation-costs-2023

Hydrogen: Industry

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to ensure the UK has adequate supplies of green hydrogen to support industrial applications.

Andrew Bowie: Our ambition is for 10GW low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030. In December we announced eleven major new hydrogen projects across the UK, and our Hydrogen Production Delivery Roadmap sets out proposals for annual allocation rounds from 2025 to 2030, helping to provide certainty for industry. To link up production and demand, we have announced our initial ambition for the first allocation rounds of the hydrogen transport and storage business models to be launched in 2024. This will support up to two storage projects at scale and associated regional pipeline infrastructure to be in operation or construction by 2030.

Hydrogen: Industry

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the viability of hydrogen as an industrial fuel.

Andrew Bowie: Low carbon hydrogen is likely to be a leading option to decarbonise industrial processes that are harder or more expensive to electrify. We expect uptake of hydrogen via fuel switching of energy intensive sites, as well as those engaging in high temperature, direct-fired processes. Near-term opportunities for hydrogen conversion include high temperature steam boilers and combined heat and power (CHP) processes in sectors such as chemicals and refineries, especially in industrial clusters with early access to hydrogen.

Power Stations: Timber

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make it her policy to make the approval of wood-burning power stations to be built after 2027 contingent on parliamentary approval.

Andrew Bowie: Ensuring the electricity system is reliable, as well as net zero consistent, means variable renewables, such as wind and solar, need to be complemented by technologies which can provide dispatchable or baseload power. Biomass electricity generation can provide this flexibility and plays a key role in delivering a more secure, clean energy sector in Britain. Parliamentary approval was granted for the updated energy National Policy Statements on 17 January 2024. This covers the use of biomass in electricity generation at the scale of Nationally Significant Infrastructure under the Planning Act (which applies to projects in England and Wales).

Energy: Highlands of Scotland

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the consultation outcome entitled Review of electricity market arrangements, published on 7 March 2023, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of energy infrastructure in the Scottish Highlands.

Graham Stuart: The UK has a secure and diverse energy system. Whilst energy policy is a matter reserved to the UK Government under the devolution settlement, planning, including energy infrastructure planning, is devolved to the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government published National Planning Framework 4 in February 2023 which has sections on energy and climate change. This is therefore a matter for the Scottish Government.

Cabinet Office

Foreign Relations

Chris Elmore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many bilateral meetings the Prime Minister has held with foreign leaders in each year since 2015.

Alex Burghart: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer of 15 November 2021, Official Report, PQ 66179.

Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the compatibility of the Civil Service Code with the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill.

Alex Burghart: On 17 January 2024, there was an exchange of letters between the Cabinet Office and the Home Office regarding the future implementation of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill which set out draft guidance to the Civil Service.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-guidance-safety-of-rwanda-bill. Full guidance will be issued when the Safety of Rwanda (Asylumand Immigration) Bill becomes law.

Government Departments: Data Protection

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Government data which is shared with third-party organisations is protected.

Alex Burghart: The Central Digital and Data Office, in the Cabinet Office, sets the policy and leads the cross-government approach to the safe, ethical, legal and secure sharing of government data. They work with the Government Security Group, who also lead on the topic of Supply Chain Security. When sharing personal data with third party organisations, departments must make sure data is used fairly, lawfully and transparently, in compliance with the data protection principles set in UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. This includes having the requisite data protection controls and governance in place and working with vendors and partners to identify and remediate any risks. All government contracts with suppliers must consider the security of all information and set expectations for how it should be protected. Departments are responsible for managing their security risks, including the risks to their information that is held and processed by authorised third-parties. The Government Security Standard, local security policies and assurance frameworks such as the Cyber Assessment Framework set out how they should do this. These frameworks and good practice have been collaboratively developed by the Cabinet Office, the National Cyber Security Centre and Departments themselves.

Treasury

Cash Dispensing: Rural Areas

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he is taking steps to ensure access to ATMs in rural locations.

Bim Afolami: The government recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those who may be in vulnerable groups.The government legislated through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 to establish a new legislative framework to protect access to cash. This establishes the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash and provides it with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities.Following this, the government published a Cash Access Policy Statement, which the FCA must take into account in exercising its powers. This sets out that the vast majority of people in predominately rural areas of the UK should have access to cash deposit and withdrawal services within a maximum of 3 miles of where they live. The government’s policy statement is available on gov.uk: Cash Access Policy StatementRegarding ATM provision specifically, LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) also has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs. It is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator.

Insurance: Prices

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made a recent assessment of the impact of increased (a) car and (b) home insurance on the cost of living.

Bim Afolami: Insurers make commercial decisions about the pricing of insurance based on their assessment on the likelihood and expected cost of a claim. The Government does not intervene in these commercial decisions by insurers as this could damage competition in the market.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the independent regulator and responsible for supervising the insurance industry. The FCA have introduced several reforms, including the Consumer Duty rules, to ensure consumers are treated fairly in regard to pricing. The FCA can and does act in appropriate cases where firms are breaching its rules.

Bank Services: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with the authorities in Northern Ireland on rural banking services.

Bim Afolami: The Treasury engages with a range of different stakeholders to discuss policy matters. We look forward to working with the restored Executive to deliver for the people of Northern Ireland.It is imperative that banks and building societies recognise the needs of all their customers, including those who need to use in-person services.UK customers can access banking services through a number of different channels. This includes in branches, Post Offices or Banking Hubs, as well as via telephone banking and through digital means such as mobile or online banking.The Post Office allows personal and business customers to carry out everyday banking services at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK. The Post Office is required by the Department for Business & Trade to ensure that 95% of the total rural population across the UK is within 3 miles of their nearest Post Office.Moreover, Banking Hubs are an initiative which enable customers of participating banks to access cash and banking services in shared facilities. Over 100 Banking Hubs have been announced so far, and the Government hopes to see these Hubs open as soon as possible across all four nations of the United Kingdom. To date, 5 Hubs have been announced in Northern Ireland, with Kilkeel already open.

Large Goods Vehicles: Excise Duties and Taxation

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the report entitled Spring Budget briefing 2024 published by the Road Haulage Association in January 2024, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of the recommendations to temporarily suspend (a) vehicle excise duty on HGVs and (b) the HGV Levy.

Gareth Davies: The government recognises the challenges faced by the haulage sector and their key role in keeping the country running. At Autumn Statement 2023 the Government announced that it is continuing its support for haulage companies by freezing HGV Vehicle Excise Duty and the HGV Levy in 2024-25. This results in a tax saving for one of the most popular HGVs (a 38-44 tonne Artic lorry with 3 axles, EURO VI) of a total of £47 per annum. These measures form a package of support for hauliers, alongside the freezing of Fuel Duty as announced at Spring Budget 2023.Like all taxes, the government keeps HGV VED and HGV Levy under review.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Darwin Initiative: Finance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2023 to Question 5477 on Darwin Initiative: Finance, how much grant funding has been provided to organisations with representatives on the Darwin Extra panel in the last three years; and what proportion of total grant funding this figure represents.

Rebecca Pow: Darwin Extra applications are assessed by the Darwin Expert Committee which then makes recommendations to Defra on which grants to fund. The Answer of 19 December 2023 to Question 5477 noted that Darwin Expert Committee members have declared an interest in 13 of the 107 organisations awarded Darwin Initiative grants in the past 3 years. These 13 organisations were awarded Darwin Initiative grants with a combined value of £37.9m, which represents 49% of the £77m awarded under Rounds 27-29; these 13 organisations also unsuccessfully bid for a further £76.3m of grant funding in Rounds 27-29. The Darwin Initiative requires an Expert Committee with up-to-date, practical knowledge of how to implement successful international development and conservation projects. Under its last three funding rounds, the Darwin Initiative received applications from 915 organisations. To not permit anyone with links to these organisations to serve on the Darwin Initiative’s Expert Committee could limit Defra’s ability to determine which proposed investments are most likely to succeed. To ensure the independence of any advice provided by the Committee, Defra has in place a robust conflicts of interest policy, where members are required to declare their interests and recuse themselves from the assessment of any application in which they have an interest. Decisions on which Darwin Initiative grants to award are taken by Defra.

Department for Business and Trade

Department for Business and Trade: Public Expenditure

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what her Departments budget was for internal resource allocation, broken down by year, for each year in which projections are available.

Greg Hands: The Department for Business and Trade’s resource allocation budget following the Supplementary Estimate for 2023/24 is: Control Total Full Yr Budget (£m) Resource DEL Admin 513.1Resource DEL Programme 1,454.1

Import Duties: South America

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to Appendix 1, Section B, Subsection 1, A, 2 of the Annex Modifications to Annex 1 to the UK-Andean Trade Agreement, signed in Quito on 15 May 2019, CP 122, what the (a) timing and (b) process is of the examination of the improvement of tariff liberalisation of goods included in staging category BA; against what criteria she plans to assess the potential impact of that improvement; what plans she has to consult countries potentially affected; and whether she plans to publish an impact assessment.

Greg Hands: The examination of goods included in Appendix 1, Section B, Subsection 1, A, 2 of the Annex Modifications to Annex 1 to the UK-Andean Trade Agreement must take place within two years of entry into force of the UK-Andean Countries Trade Agreement. The agreement entered into force for all parties in June 2022. In the review, the UK will consider the interests of businesses and consumers alongside our development objectives. The Government will engage stakeholders and meet our existing commitments for consultation in the UK-Cariforum Economic Partnership Agreement. There are no plans to publish an impact assessment.

L3Harris: F-35 Aircraft

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will review L3Harris’s licence to produce release systems for the F-35 combat aircraft in the context of the International Court of Justice's order relating to the case of the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v Israel), published on 26 January 2024.

Greg Hands: Decisions on export licensing are based on the UK's Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. The Government's export licences are kept under careful and continual review, and we can amend, suspend or revoke extant licences, or refuse new licence applications, where they are inconsistent with these criteria.

Freight: Insolvency

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate she has made of the number of road haulage businesses entering insolvency in 2023; and what steps he is taking to support that industry.

Kevin Hollinrake: In 2023 in the UK, 494 companies with a SIC code 49410 - Freight Transport by Road - entered insolvency.At Autumn Statement 2023, the Government announced continuing support for haulage companies, freezing HGV Vehicle Excise Duty and the HGV Levy in 2024/25. This forms part of a package of support for hauliers, with the freezing of Fuel Duty announced at Spring Budget 2023, saving over £4,300 for the most common types of HGV in 2023/24.The Department for Education is also offering high-quality apprenticeships and Skills Bootcamps, supporting the haulage sector to develop the skilled workforces it needs.

Cyprus: Investment and Overseas Trade

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department plans to produce a trade and investment factsheet for trade with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Greg Hands: In accordance with the rest of the international community, with the sole exception of Turkey, the UK does not recognise the self-declared "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" as an independent state. UK trade statistics from the Office for National Statistics, which provide most of the headline information shown in the trade and investment factsheets, do not include figures identifying UK trade with the north of Cyprus . It is therefore not possible to produce a separate trade and investment factsheet.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Social Media: Disinformation

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle digital astroturfing on social media.

Saqib Bhatti: The Government recognises the range of tactics which could be employed to spread mis- and disinformation and the threat that these can pose. DSIT’s National Security Online Information Team (NSOIT) analyses coordinated attempts to artificially manipulate the online information environment, working with a range of partners, including social media platforms, civil society groups, academia, and international partners, to tackle it. Digital astroturfing, amongst other techniques sometimes used by state actors to interfere with UK society, will be captured by the Foreign Interference Offence. This has been added as a priority offence in the Online Safety Act and will capture a wide range of state-sponsored disinformation and state-backed operations. Companies will have a legal duty to take proactive action to prevent users from encountering material that amounts to an offence of Foreign Interference, which could include content linked to digital astroturfing, and minimise how long any such content is present on their services. Under the Act, Ofcom’s Disinformation Advisory Committee is empowered to conduct research and build understanding on mis- and disinformation related issues, which may include the threats posed by digital astroturfing. In addition, Ofcom’s updated statutory duty to promote media literacy includes specific duties to raise the public’s awareness of how to keep themselves and others safe online, including by understanding the nature and impact of mis- and disinformation. This could include initiatives related to specific malicious tactics.

Patents: Licensing

Keir Mather: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the process for the licencing of standard essential patents is equitable for small and medium enterprises.

Saqib Bhatti: The Government recognises the growing importance of Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) to the UK economy. The Government has been actively working since 2021 to better understand how the SEPs framework functions to ensure the balance between innovation and competition is maintained. This included launching a questionnaire for small and medium businesses (SMEs) in March 2023, to better understand their SEP licensing experiences. Subsequently, the IPO presented recommendations to Ministers who are currently reviewing those recommendations with a view to ensuring Government helps implementers, especially SMEs, navigate and better understand the SEPs ecosystem and Fair Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) licensing.

Department for Transport

Public Transport: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will have discussions with representatives of Transport for London on the adequacy of public transport (a) availability and (b) reliability in the London Borough of Havering.

Huw Merriman: Transport in London is devolved and is the responsibility of the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL). It is for them to decide how best to deliver public transport services in Havering. However, since March 2020, Government has provided over £6.6bn to TfL to support transport in London and the Department continues to work closely with them on a on a range of local transport issues.

Railways: Scotland

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve rail connections between England and the north of Scotland.

Huw Merriman: Cross Border Connectivity is a priority for the Department, the Department is committed to ensuring that passengers are able to travel by rail between England and Scotland.Investment in timetable improvements and new infrastructure will enable faster and more frequent services on the East Coast Mainline improving rail connections between England and Scotland. Officials from the Department are in contact with their counterparts at Transport Scotland.LNER provide a daily train service each way – the Highland Chieftain – between Inverness and London King’s Cross serving Aviemore, Perth, Sterling, Edinburgh, Newcastle, York and Peterborough.

Roads: Lincolnshire

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department allocated to Lincolnshire County Council for road repairs in each year since 2015.

Guy Opperman: The Department has allocated a total of £358.9 million capital grant funding through formula to Lincolnshire County Council for highway maintenance for the financial years 2015/16 to 2023/24. This consists of £246.4 million for the Highways Maintenance Block (needs and incentive elements), £83.6 million for Pothole Action Fund, Potholes Fund, and Wet Weather Fund, £20.6 million from Budget top ups, and £4.9 million from the redirected HS2 funding as part of Network North.A table with this breakdown can be found below:YearHighway Maintenance Block (£m)Additional Pothole and Wet Weather funding (£m)Budget Top Ups (£m)Network North (£m)Total (£m)2015/1631.013   31.0132016/1730.1691.804  31.9732017/1830.2235.903  36.1262018/1930.1931.77213.747 45.7122019/2030.1521.642  31.7942020/2130.15220.909  54.3732021/2221.51317.210  38.7232022/2321.51317.210  38.7232023/2421.51317.2106.8844.92450.531 In addition to capital grant allocation formula funding, in February 2020 Lincolnshire County Council was awarded £3.65 million from the Highways Maintenance Challenge Fund towards resurfacing the A52 Roman Bank.

Cars: Insurance

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will meet representatives of insurance companies to discuss bringing down the cost of car insurance.

Guy Opperman: Department for Transport officials regularly liaise with representatives of the motor insurance industry on a variety of issues such as the cost of insurance.

Preston Station

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister at Prime Minister's Questions on 24 January 2024, Official Report, column 296, what plans his Department has to improve Preston railway station; and what his planned timeline is for those improvements.

Huw Merriman: Following the Network North announcement, work is underway to consider potential upgrades to the West Coast Main Line, including improvements to Preston station, to support the introduction of High-Speed Services and improve journeys between London, the West Midlands, the North-West and Scotland. My officials are working with industry partners to review options.

Rolling Stock: Safety

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the exemptions granted by the Office of Rail and Road under Section 5 of the Railway Safety Regulations 1999 on central door locking by the date they (a) were issued and (b) expire.

Huw Merriman: The Office of Rail and Road publishes a list of exemptions granted under Regulation 6 of the Railway Safety Regulations 1999 on their website. This list of exemptions includes the date they were issued and their expiration dates.

Motorcycles: Hydrogen

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help support the development of hydrogen (a) fuel cells and (b) internal combustion engines for L-category vehicles.

Guy Opperman: Government remains technology neutral and although large portions of the L-category market are already electrifying using batteries, we recognise manufacturers are working with alternative technologies. Acknowledging the need to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, we remain open to considering how alternative and other low-carbon fuels may play a role in the transition period from internal combustion engine vehicles to fully electric vehicles. This includes hydrogen, bio and synthetic fuels.

Roads: Safety

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to update the policy paper entitled Strategic framework for road safety, published on 11 May 2011.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Transport published Road Safety Statements in 2015 and 2019.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many electric vehicle charge-points have been installed as part of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund as of 5 February 2024.

Anthony Browne: The Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Pilot, launched in August 2022, and expanded further in February 2023, has provided funding to deliver 3,400 chargepoints and 1,000 gullies. The full fund was launched in March 2023 and we announced five successful applications on February 5, 2024. Further successful applications will be announced in coming months.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Religious Buildings: Lincolnshire

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which listed places of worship in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) South Holland and the Deepings constituency have received funding since 2017; and how much each received.

Julia Lopez: The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, jointly funded by HM Treasury and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to provide up to £42 million per annum, was established to provide grants towards VAT paid on repairs and maintenance to the nation's listed places of worship. Through this scheme, 1,177 grants have been awarded to places of worship in Lincolnshire since 2017, amounting to a total of £3,882,071. In the South Holland and the Deepings constituency, 130 grants have been awarded since 2017, amounting to a total of £323,285.A dataset showing a full list of grant scheme recipients — including those in both Lincolnshire, and the South Holland and the Deepings constituency — since August 2022 is available here on gov.uk.

Charities: Lotteries

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department’s research on charity lottery sales and prize limits will assess the case for removing sales limits.

Stuart Andrew: As set out in the response to WPQ 203179, the annual sales limits for charity lotteries were reviewed 12 months after the reforms were implemented in 2020. The review concluded it was too soon to reach any firm view on the impact of the reforms, and that more data on the growth of the sector was needed before considering any further changes.The department will continue to look closely at this, and work closely with the Gambling Commission to keep the sector and research regarding charity lottery sales and prize limits under review.I have committed to commissioning independent research, and we are currently considering a range of options in discussion with the Gambling Commission.

Youth Centres

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of trends in the number of youth clubs available to young people since 2010.

Stuart Andrew: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not hold the data requested. Local authorities have a statutory duty to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people in their area. This is funded from the Local Government settlement, which is due to rise to more than £64 billion in 2024-25. We have worked with local authorities and with the youth sector to update the statutory guidance that underpins local authorities’ duty to support them in adequately meeting the needs of young people.The Government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving the life chances and wellbeing of young people, which is why we have committed to the National Youth Guarantee. This includes the delivery of up to 300 new and refurbished youth spaces and services in left behind areas through the Youth Investment Fund, totalling over £300 million.

BBC: Gaza

Tahir Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has had recent discussions with the BBC board on impartiality in its news coverage of the conflict in Gaza.

Julia Lopez: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Ministerial team regularly meets with BBC leadership, including members of the Board, to discuss a range of issues.The BBC has a duty to provide accurate and impartial news and information. In delivering that duty, the BBC is editorially and operationally independent and decisions around its editorial policies and guidelines are a matter for the BBC. Ofcom is the external independent regulator responsible for ensuring BBC coverage is duly impartial and accurate under the Broadcasting Code and BBC Charter.The Secretary of State has repeatedly made clear that the BBC’s accuracy and impartiality is critical to viewer trust. It is particularly important when it comes to coverage of highly sensitive events, such as the terrorist acts committed in Israel on 7 October and the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The Secretary of State has regularly stated that point in meetings with the BBC.

Pontins: Closures

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will have discussions with representatives of Britannia Hotels on the impact of the closure of Pontins Holiday Parks on (a) staff, (b) local tourism and (c) community organisations using the parks for events.

Julia Lopez: Holiday parks are a key part of the UK’s tourism landscape and enjoyed by many visitors around the country, as well as being important local employers and bringing wider benefits to regional visitor economies.As a department, we are therefore concerned about the closures of Pontins sites at Prestatyn Sands, Camber Sands and Southport, particularly with regards to supporting staff from those sites who no longer have roles, as well as tourism businesses who rely on the secondary spend of visitors to Pontins.The Culture Secretary has set out her concerns around job losses and the impact on the local tourism sector in written correspondence with Britannia, and requested a meeting to discuss.

Film: Recruitment

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with representatives of the film production industry on the standards of recruitment within the film industry.

Julia Lopez: There is regular discussion between the government and film industry at both Ministerial and official level on a range of topics, including on workforce and skills issues.The Creative Industries Sector Vision sets out this Government’s ambitions, shared with industry, to support this high-growth sector up to 2030. The second chapter of the Sector Vision focuses on the creative workforce and includes our 2030 job quality objective: that all parts of the creative industries are recognised for offering high quality jobs, ensuring a resilient and productive workforce that reflects the whole of the UK. It is vital therefore that we ensure the right recruitment practices are in place to support the sector.The Good Work Review, published in February 2023 by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, was co-funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and is the first sectoral deep dive of its kind into job quality and working practice in the creative industries. We have committed to, together with industry, set out an action plan to assess the recommendations of the review - including developing and reporting on recruitment practices.To play their part in responding to the recommendations set out in the Good Work Review, the BFI has allocated £1,500,000 of National Lottery funds to a Good Work Programme for Screen. The programme aims to create a ‘one stop shop’ where businesses and individuals can access key resources, advice, support, and training to strengthen recruitment, management, and HR practices; build more inclusive workplaces; and aid workforce productivity.

Arts: Self-employed

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help support people in freelance creative professions.

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the trends in the level of freelance employment in creative industries in the next five years; whether her Department is taking steps to help support growth in freelance employment in the sector; and if she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of introducing social security programmes to help support freelance employees in the sector.

Julia Lopez: The Government recognises the essential contribution freelancers make to the creative industries.A key ambition of the Creative Industries Sector Vision, published in June 2023, is to improve the job quality and working practice of the sector, including the self-employed. As part of this ambition, Government and industry have agreed to work together to address the recommendations of the Good Work Review. An action plan is being developed and proposals include the recent launch of the British Film Institute’s £1.5 million Good Work Programme for screen.Arts Council England’s current Delivery Plan includes ‘increasing our support for individuals’ as one of its five themes and sets high expectations for all cultural organisations which work with creative and cultural professionals. Its online toolkits support practitioners and employers by setting out good-practice approaches, and signposting people to other supportive resources.Universal Credit and Jobcentre Plus support is available to those who are looking for work, and those who are in work but with low earnings, and this includes the self-employed. This support is available to all, regardless of sector.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Ministers' Private Offices

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2024 to Question 11396 on Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Ministers' Private Offices, what the cost of the refurbishment was.

Julia Lopez: The cost of the refurbishment in 2022 was £15,336.92.

Arts Council England

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will provide a timetable for the review of Arts Council England.

Julia Lopez: A review of Arts Council England was publicly announced by the Cabinet Office on 23 September 2023 as part of its annual list of Public Body Reviews. The next steps will be announced via a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament.

Ministry of Defence

Aircraft Carriers

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times a UK Carrier Strike Group with a wholly sovereign air wing and escort fleet has sailed on (a) exercise and (b) deployment since 2020.

James Heappey: The UK Carrier Strike Group (UKCSG) has conducted three deployments since 2020. Sovereign aircraft, escorts and support ships have formed the core of the UKCSG, but each deployment has also involved contributions from partner nations. All three deployments included UKCSG participation in a range of multinational operations and exercises.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the £2.5 billion military aid for Ukraine in 2024-25, announced on 12 January 2024, whether that funding includes his Department's operational costs for NATO bases.

James Heappey: As in previous years, we expect the £2.5 billion to cover a broad range of support to Ukraine including rapid procurement and gifting of equipment, development of international capability coalitions and training support through Op INTERFLEX. Precise allocations will be decided before the beginning of the next financial year in April.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the £2.5 billion military aid for Ukraine in 2024-25, announced on 12 January 2024, whether that funding includes his Department's operational costs.

James Heappey: As in previous years, we expect the £2.5 billion to cover a broad range of support to Ukraine including rapid procurement and gifting of equipment, development of international capability coalitions and training support through Op INTERFLEX. Precise allocations will be decided before the beginning of the next financial year in April.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the £2.5 billion military aid for Ukraine in 2024-25, announced on 12 January 2024, if he will provide a breakdown of how he plans to divide that funding.

James Heappey: As in previous years, we expect the £2.5 billion to cover a broad range of support to Ukraine including rapid procurement and gifting of equipment, development of international capability coalitions and training support through Op INTERFLEX. As previously announced, £200 million of the £2.5 billion will be spent on thousands of military drones for Ukraine. Precise allocations will be decided before the beginning of the next financial year in April.

Afghanistan: Refugees

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of (a) pending, (b) rejected and (c) approved applicants to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy are residing in Afghanistan as of 5 February 2024.

James Heappey: As of 6 February 2024, our records indicate that approximately 600 principal applicants deemed eligible for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme (ARAP) are recorded as residing in Afghanistan. This figure does not include family members. These figures fluctuate as we continue to identify eligible individuals. In terms of applications pending, we do not confirm the location of an applicant before an eligibility decision is made. At this stage we focus exclusively on determining the applicant's ARAP eligibility. Once eligibility is determined we confirm the location of the applicant as we prepare to support their onward movement along the relocation journey. We do not track the location of rejected applicants, having received over 95,000 unique applications to the scheme, and are therefore unable to provide this number. Furthermore, this number does not yet include any applicants who may be found to be eligible as a consequence of the review into Category 4 decisions I announced to the House on 1 February.

Armed Forces: Carbon Emissions

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to reduce emissions produced by the armed forces.

James Cartlidge: MOD is committed to reducing its carbon emissions and fully contributing to the UK achieving its legal commitment to be Net Zero by 2050.Work is underway across the MOD and Defence is beginning to drive real change; from innovation on future fuels through to embedding energy efficient measures in our bases. Underpinning all this work is the need to ensure national security and preserve our capability levels. The Department's current progress on reducing emissions has been published in Annex D of MOD's Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23 (publishing.service.gov.uk).

Type 31 Frigates: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total cost to his Department is of (a) the core contract, (b) capability insertion, (c) Government furnished equipment and (d) other relevant aspects of the Type 31 frigate programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total cost to his Department is of (a) the core contract, (b) capability insertion, (c) Government furnished equipment and (d) other relevant aspects of the Type 26 frigate programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total cost for his Department was of was the Batch II River-class offshore patrol vessels.

James Cartlidge: In regard of contract values for the Batch 1 and Batch 2 Type 26 Frigates, the Type 31 Frigates, and the Batch II River-class Offshore Patrol Vessels, I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 12 December 2023 to Question 4914 and to the answer I gave on 7 February 2024 to Question 12110 to the hon. Member for East Lothian (Kenny MacAskill). Other relevant costs include a contract worth some £70 million awarded to Thales for the provision of equipment and technical services for a Type 31 shore-based mission test and integration facility. I am withholding the wider programme costs including the costs for capability insertion and Government Furnished Equipment for the two Frigate programmes project as its disclosure could be prejudicial to the commercial interests of our industrial partners, BAES Systems and Babcock.

Military Aircraft

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the timeline for the Command Support Air Transport (CSAT) Recapitalisation Phase 2 programme.

James Cartlidge: The 30-month contract extension was successfully awarded to Centreline Aviation Ltd for operation of the two MOD Command Support Air Transport (CSAT) Envoy Falcon 900LX aircraft to September 2026.The Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) for the competition of CSAT Envoy Recapitalisation Phase 2 programme was released to industry on 12 December 2023, with strong industry return of interest to date.The MOD will evaluate the PQQ responses and confirm its choice to industry bidders during May 2024. The subsequent Invitation to Tender remains in progress and is due to be released to industry in January 2025. The CSAT Phase 2 Full Business Case is scheduled for Investment Approvals Committee in January 2026, with transition to full military registration/operated service for both aircraft due to commence from July 2026.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the status of the New Medium Helicopter programme is as of 2 February 2024.

James Cartlidge: Positive progress is being made towards launching the next stage of the competition, and we are currently in the process of securing final cross-Government approval.

Maritime Patrol Aircraft: Torpedoes

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timetable is for integrating the Sting Ray Torpedo onto the Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.

James Cartlidge: Integration of Sting Ray Mod 1 has commenced. The associated schedule is still being developed, but the intent is to integrate this sovereign capability at the earliest opportunity.

Northern Ireland Office

Foreign Investment in UK: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps his Department has taken to encourage international companies to (a) invest and (b) base themselves in Northern Ireland in the last six months.

Mr Steve Baker: International investment makes an important contribution towards Northern Ireland's prosperity. The Northern Ireland Investment Summit, led by the Department for Business and Trade in partnership with the Northern Ireland Office and Invest NI, welcomed over 180 global investors to the region in September. The Summit showcased Northern Ireland’s innovation, sector strengths and opportunities for inward investment to a truly global audience. We are already seeing new international investment in Northern Ireland’s key growth sectors as a result, along with established companies already based in Northern Ireland announcing that they will be expanding their operations in the region. My Department continues to work closely with the Department for Business and Trade to maximise opportunities to encourage investment. I attended the Global Investment Summit that the UK hosted in November and met with many businesses interested in setting and scaling up in the UK. My clear message to them was that Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom has all of the right ingredients for economic success: exceptional talent, unique opportunities, a tradition of creativity and a healthy spirit of private sector entrepreneurship. A key factor for international investment is of course business certainty. We thus welcome the restoration of devolved governance in Northern Ireland.